Ground Zero
by Writin'Chica2KDarchangel
Summary: What if the world had been lucky on 2001911? Would it be lucky a thousand years later?...
1. Default Chapter

A/N: Not so much an author's note as it is a warning...I'm know I'll prolly get flamed for this fic, but I don't deserve it, so all flames will be retaliated and/or deleted, and I'm pretty good at both. This fic is hard enough to write as it is, OK? Oh, and I may have gotten some time things mixed up, but don't kill me over that. Onward.  
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3001-9-11, New New York City  
8:57 AM  
Fry was barely conscious of the figure shaking his shoulder. He curled deeper into his covers. "I don't wanna go to school today," he mumbled.  
"Wake up, Fry," he heard, and rolled over to see Amy at his bedside. Was he still groggy, or were her eyes red?  
"What's wrong?"  
"The news…oh God, it's horrible," she sniffed and turned away. A confused Fry stumbled out of bed and followed Amy into the living room. Hermes, Zoidberg, Bender, and Farnsworth were staring at the TV. The sky seemed oddly dark outside.  
"What happened?" Fry asked.  
Zoidberg turned towards him, eyes glassier than usual. "It happened about ten minutes ago. A plane hit the first tower of the New World Trade Center."  
"What the-?" The young man took a look at the TV and sure enough, there was a huge plume of smoke coming from the tower. "Was it an accident? Is it a helicopter or something?"  
"We don't know. Can't you see the smoke from downtown? It's horrible." Amy covered her face and sobbed, and Bender…put an arm around her shoulder? That was the first act of empathy Fry had seen in him since…well, since ever.  
He thought briefly and then asked, "Hey, where's Leela?"  
"We don't know, she was already gone when we woke up," said Farnsworth.  
"You don't think- my God!" Fry turned quickly and fled from the headquarters before anyone could stop him.  
"Come back here!" Farnsworth called too late. "That darn fool, still in his pajamas."  
"He's got a point, Professor," Hermes said and went to follow the young man.  
Bender looked back at the TV. "Holy crap, the second tower just got hit!"  
Amy continued sobbing.  
  
9:04 AM  
Fry was running as fast as his legs would allow. The sky was dark and smoky, and there was the odd hint of fire in the distance. No sense taking a taxi, they'd already be full of people getting away from whatever this was.  
Sirens wailed from behind him, and he turned around to see a fire truck speed by- too fast to grab on and hitch a ride.  
"Wherever you are, Leela, hold on," he said to himself and kept running.  
  
9:15 AM  
Huddled in an alley barely four blocks from the New World Trade Center, Leela stared out at the streets. Humans, aliens, robots, whatever- they were all running away from the smoke; many of them were coated in dust. There were plenty of cries and screaming, someone kept calling, "Mama! Mama!"  
'Why aren't I running with them?' she thought. This was ridiculous. She'd left Planet Express headquarters around 8:30 just to take a walk around the city and this had to happen. 'I'm never going out early again.'  
A deep rumble sounded those blocks away and more distinct screams pierced the air. That was enough motivation to get up and start running.  
Leela looked back over her shoulder and saw rubble crumbling amidst the smoke. Impossible as it seemed, the tower was collapsing. She covered her eye to shield away the debris and kept speeding.  
She barely felt the chunk of rubble hit the back of her head and knock her out.  
  
9:23 AM  
The rest of the Planet Express crew had caught up with Fry and now they were in a cab heading downtown. Farnsworth held a picture of Leela he'd grabbed before they left, just in case. The cab pilot had the radio on, where someone was reporting live from the towers.  
"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know how to describe this…this place is a complete warzone. Three trucks of rescue crew have just passed by, and none of the first batch of dispatched firefighters have reappeared yet…dear God! Ladies and gentlemen, the second tower of the New World Trade Center is collapsing as I speak-"  
"Can't you go any faster, man?!" Fry screamed at the cab pilot.  
"I'm already doing 120 in an 80 zone!"  
"Hey guys," Bender asked, "didn't anyone bring their cell phones with them?"  
"D'oh!" Fry whapped his forehead. "Leela's cell! Of course!" He whipped his phone out and nervously punched out the young woman's number.  
  
9:25 AM  
Everything was dark around Leela. The chunk of rubble that had knocked her out had also pinned her to the ground. She covered with dust and couldn't breathe without taking any in. Sounds were exaggerated. Footsteps of escaping people echoed, sirens wailed mutely. Was there chanting, or was that only the panicked chatter of people around her? A tear escaped and cut a clean path down her dirty face. She didn't have the strength to brush it away.  
'I'm going to die,' Leela thought. 'Alone in all this…I didn't want to go this way. There's still so much I want to do. Oh…Mom, Dad, whoever you are and wherever you are, I hope I fulfilled everything you wanted for me. I forgive you. I love you.  
'Amy…it was nice having someone around to girl-talk with. You understood me like no one else would. You always listened to me ramble on, and I always took your advice to heart. Thank you for being there. Promise you'll look after Nibbler. I love you.  
'Dr. Zoidberg…I never knew how you managed to put up with everybody's teasing. I didn't really mean it. You were always so practical, so interesting to talk to. I love you.  
'Hermes… I guess you'll have one less schedule to keep straight. You were one great person to hang around with. Please don't be so upset over me; you were always the best coper of us. I love you.  
'Professor Farnsworth…you're the most misunderstood genius I know. Even when your inventions didn't work, I knew your heart was in the right place. I'm glad I got to work with you while I could. I love you.  
'Bender…oh, I'm gonna miss your pranks and wisecracks and get-rich-quick schemes. It was so hard to stay mad at you because you brought such a smile to my face. You had a way of making me relax, to laugh and to enjoy life. Thank you, I love you.  
'Fry…I don't even know where to start. I guess my biggest regret is I'll never get the chance to tell you I love you. Everyone knew except you. I know I acted like I didn't like you, but really, I'm just not the type of person who lets those feelings show. Because I really care for you so much…more than you'll ever know, I guess. We never had the nerve to tell each other what we felt, and now we never will. I'm so sorry. Goodbye, Fry. I love you.'  
AWWWWwwwwr. A siren slowly wailed beside her and she barely heard someone step over. "We got a girl trapped here! Assistance!" The whirring of a machine was heard, but if it removed the rubble Leela didn't know. She was in too much pain. "OK, on the stretcher!" A faint vibration echoed at her side.  
"Somebody…" Leela whispered. "Somebody get that…" The man who found her grabbed the phone and answered it.  
"Hello?…I don't know who you mean, but we have to get this girl to the hospital…uh-huh…yeah, that's her…OK, but make it fast." He held the phone to Leela's ear. "Somebody blathering away. Talk some sense into him, hon."  
"Hello?" she whispered.  
"Leela! Oh, thank God!" Fry was blubbering on the other end. "Were you in the building? What happened?"  
"I don't know what happened…"  
"We're gonna meet you at the hospital, OK? Leela…darling…stay strong… we can't lose you…" More sobbing.  
"I'll be fine…I love you, Fry. See you later." The man who found her snapped the phone shut.  
"Time's up, Miss Leela! Let's go!" Her stretcher was loaded onto an ambulance and sped off.  
'I did it,' she thought. 'I told him I love him. Did…did he just call me darling?'  
  
9:33 AM  
Fry shut off his cell phone and turned to the others. "They have to take Leela to the hospital. I don't know what happened to her."  
"She's gotta be alive! She has to be!" Amy gripped tight onto Dr. Zoidberg's shoulder.  
As the taxi hovered off towards the emergency ward, Bender clenched his metal hands and glared out a window. "This was no accident. Who the hell coulda done this?!"  
"Bender, this is no time to think about vengeance. We have to think about Leela," said Farnsworth.  
Hermes looked over at Fry, whose face had received a thoughtful, sad look. 'You all right, boy?"  
"Huh?" Fry snapped out of his reverie. "Oh…yeah, I'll be fine." 'Did…did Leela say she loves me?'  
  
9:50 AM  
The waiting room was packed to the biggest extent any of the Planet Express crew had seen. TVs attached to the walls were all on the same station, reporting from the now-rubble of the towers. Rescue crew had pulled out some survivors, but not enough to be overly optimistic. It was also reported that another plane had crashed into Washington, DC, at the Pentagon. One more plane that'd taken off that morning had lost contact with its proper control tower, and authorities feared the worst.  
"Oh, God…" Zoidberg was reacting to footage of the DC crash site; he paled, covered his mouth, and fled down a hallway. The others knew it was best to leave him be for a while.  
Eventually a doctor entered the waiting room, hand on the shoulder of a crying woman who looked about five months pregnant. Fry didn't have to guess over who she could be crying over; he wiped away a tear of his own as the doctor approached the group.  
"I'm Dr. Paul O'Rourke. A friend of yours was brought in about twenty minutes ago…Cyclops woman?"  
"Yes, that's our friend," Amy said in a shaky voice. "Is Leela still alive?"  
"Yes-" A collective sigh of relief from the group. "-But you'll need to come with me." The sigh faded as they followed Dr. O'Rourke to an elevator; Zoidberg was back in time to follow them.  
On the way to the proper floor, O'Rourke explained to the group, "Currently Leela is in a state of unconsciousness, no doubt brought about by her physical trauma. She was pinned under rubble from a tower, and it crushed areas around the ends of her spine. Eventually we'll operate to correct what we can, but the effects won't be overnight. It could be anywhere from two to five months before she'll gain complete control of her legs again."  
"Her legs?" Fry asked.  
"When the spine and certain nerve endings are damaged, certain areas of the body are unable to receive proper messages from the brain- in this case, her legs. We trust she'll awaken within 24 hours so we can operate." O'Rourke removed his glasses and sighed. "Your friend is one of the few lucky ones we've had today. We're hoping for more, but…" He didn't finish, partly because it didn't need finishing and partly because they were at the right floor. Leela was in room 31D.  
The crew couldn't help their gasp of reaction when they saw the young woman. The heart and brainwave monitors she was hooked up to beat steadily, but her countenance didn't suggest someone in the land of the living.  
"Leela!" Fry rushed to her bed and clenched a pale hand. "God, Leela, you can't do this to us! You gotta wake up! Please!" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Please, Leela. We need you. I love you. Please." The rest of the crew stepped over and watched with hopeful eyes.  
Leela's arm twitched and slowly brought itself to her bandaged forehead. "Uhhh…where am I?"  
"Dr. O'Rourke! She's waking up!"  
  
(to be continued...) 


	2. Chapter 2

10:07 AM  
It took an enormous effort for Leela to open her eye; it felt like someone had stitched it shut. She blinked and blinked, each time opening and closing her eye with less exertion.  
Where was she? Wherever it was, it colored the ugliest shade of white. Something rung in her ears, and there was a shining in the distance.  
'This is how it feels to go to the light,' she thought, and was ready to surrender when she heard a familiar voice.  
"Leela!…Dr. O'Rourke, she's waking up!"  
Fry? She turned her aching head to see, yes, Fry and the rest of the Planet Express crew. There was also a man in white, with glasses and silvery hair. He held a clipboard in one hand and had the other on her shoulder.  
"Hello, Leela. How are you feeling?"  
"Uhhhh…" Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton. Why did doctors always ask that when they knew you were at your crummiest?  
"That's all right. You're going to be groggy for a while, but you're alive and that's what matters."  
That statement made the images return to the young woman's mind- smoke in the sky, watching everybody run, rubble in the streets…  
"Those…those towers…"  
"They're gone," Hermes said with his head down low. "Who knows who else is gone too."  
"What!" Leela sat upright in shock…and noticed something peculiar. "Doctor…I can't feel anything below my hips! What's going on?"  
"I was just ready to explain that, Miss," he said and repeated what he told the rest of the crew to her, emphasizing the hope to operate by tomorrow.  
"Five months?!" she cried and flopped back down. "I might as well be dead!"  
"Leela, for God's sake don't talk like that!" Amy pushed Fry out of the way and grabbed her friend's shoulders. "There's hundreds of innocent people out there- maybe thousands- who'd rather be in the position you're in. It might take five months for you to walk, but it might take years for others! Some won't be able to move again. Some are *dead*! Some are dying right now! You don't want to wish to be dying, believe me, I…" Her hands quivered and she pulled away. "Oh, God…" Amy turned away sobbing and Zoidberg held her close.  
"Maybe we should leave now," Fry said quietly. He looked directly into Leela's eye for the first time since she woke up. "It'd be easier to visit after the surgery."  
"Yeah," she said quietly and dipped her head low. One corner of her mouth turned up in an awkward smile.  
"What's so funny?"  
"Do you know you're still in your pajamas?"  
"Huh?" Fry looked down and blushed when he saw Leela was telling the truth. "Heh. Guess I forgot." A light smile came to his face, and with no embarrassment or second thought, he leaned in and brought his mouth lightly to Leela's cheek. "Sleep tight."  
The young woman's smile stayed on her face. "You too," she said as Fry let go of her hand and she watched the crew leave the hospital room.  
After they left, Dr. O'Rourke nodded and said, "It's best for you to rest now. Just press that if you need anything," he pointed to a red button on the side of the bed.  
"I'll be fine, Doctor. Thank you." Leela leaned back into her pillow and placed a hand where Fry had kissed her. She wanted to keep smiling, but any happiness was drowned by the misery in her body and in the world outside. As she closed her eye for a likely non-peaceful sleep, the tear trickling down felt hot as the smoke.  
  
10:20 AM  
Outside the hospital the atmosphere was none better. The crew saw more ambulances pulling in, and Hermes had to yank Fry out of the way to avoid being hit.  
"Eyes on the road, man! We don't need you in a body cast, either!"  
"Oh…sorry." Fry sighed and fumbled around in his pockets. "Hey, does anyone have enough change for a taxi?"  
The rest of the crew fumbled around in their pockets as well. "Drat, none!" Farnsworth said. "We'll have to take the travel tubes."  
The nearest travel tubes were about a block away, but when the crew got there, there was a heavy blockade surrounding them.  
"Closed For Security Reasons. We Apologize For Any Inconvenience," read the signs surrounding the blockade. "Damn! Looks like we walk home," Bender sighed.  
The crew shuffled along the street, looking around every so often. More blockades were surrounding the buildings that weren't evacuated. The clouds were dark like it was about to rain, but that wasn't accounted for the color, it was the smoke. Amy coughed repeatedly and rubbed her eyes to keep the smoke away.  
"It's barely been two hours. How could everything look so horrible so quickly?"  
"What I'd like to know is *why* this happened." Fry put on a sarcastic tone and said, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."  
"What are you talking about?" Zoidberg asked.  
"Back in the early 1990s, some terrorists detonated bombs under the towers in Old New York. A few people were killed and there were a lot of injuries, but the Trade Center wasn't really damaged."  
"Did they ever catch who did it?"  
"Yeah. I was too young at the time to understand why they did it. Even now I don't," he looked up at the gray sky.  
Amy put a delicate hand on her friend's shoulder. "At least everybody we know is OK now, that's all we have to worry about." A worried expression came over her face, however. "Oh no, what if Kif's trying to call me now?" She quickened her pace and ran ahead of the Planet Express crew.  
Fry sighed and sang a melancholy tune in his head as he and the others continued their silent walk home. It was going to be a long day.  
  
(to be continued...) 


End file.
